back sore, slighly achy after deadlifting

Korch · #1 07-19-2007, 08:47 AM

I just did my A day w/ a starting strength yesterday (squat, bench, dead). I did two sets of deads as my final exercise. A warmup and a heavy set. Afterwards my back feels a bit achy and a little sore. No sharp pains or anything like that and it feels great to stand up straight now (next morning) but i can feel i did deads yesterday. Is this feeling normal/okay or does it suggest some deficiency in my form?

Big Poppa Smurf · #2 07-19-2007, 11:59 AM

You know the pain you get when you try to lift a heavy box and don't do it right, and your back just kills? Soreness from deadlifts should feel different from that (like other muscular soreness) but it's to be expected.

ncray · #3 07-21-2007, 01:33 AM

I just did deads earlier today and my back just feels fatigued. I'm pretty anal about form and I've never experienced any pain either during the exercise or rest.

Korch · #4 07-21-2007, 10:05 AM

I just did a new exercise yesterday (pull downs, temporary substitute for the military press, which my shoulders are making issue with) and I feel pretty sore today. I'm positive it's a good sore and it feels just like my lower back did the day after deads, so i think i'm okay.

Utah · #5 07-21-2007, 11:44 AM

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I'm pretty anal about form and I've never experienced any pain either during the exercise or rest.

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I sure everyone knows this but I think it is worth repeating. Make sure your form is PERFECT on deadlifts. I just cringe at the gym when I see people doing them with bad form.

Several years ago, I was going a pyramid set and I was fatigued at the top of the set at 365. I normally paid strict attention to form but this time I dipped my shoulders slightly causing a slight round in my back (nothing too off though) and it felt like the disk shot out of my spine at the start of the lift. I was in the ER that night with surgery to soon follow (and another surgery on the same disk last year). My back is still completely f'd up and it hurts every day and that will never change.

It you screw up a big lift you may not just injure yourself, you may cripple yourself like I did. Completely sucks.

Korch · #6 07-21-2007, 08:56 PM

i'm sorry to hear this. are these injuries possible with weights that are like under 200lb?

Fubster · #7 07-21-2007, 08:59 PM

Upper or lower back? Do you do deadlifts often and if so, has this happened before?

Rearden · #8 07-21-2007, 09:17 PM

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i'm sorry to hear this. are these injuries possible with weights that are like under 200lb?

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Lifting light with bad form = Dangerous
Lifting heavy with bad form = Dangerous

....The constant there is obvious and it's better to be safe than sorry with respect to staying light until youre 100%. Nothing from running to lifting is completely injury free but if you use proper form and focus on safety you can decrease your chances of such damaging injury to minimal levels; if you don't sometimes you may just be asking for it in a way.

I don't mean to suggest that everyone who gets hurt lifting has terrible form; some things just happen. I do mean however that lifting with poor form ups the chance of something going wrong and that form should always take priority in exercising effectively and safely.

And OP:

Pulldowns as a substitute for Pressing.... what?

Korch · #9 07-21-2007, 09:48 PM

dude, i can't press. when i did it, it felt awkward and hurt my shoulders. Two sessions later, the pain got worse. On the advice of some guys here, i'm laying off it for a while. Pull downs were suggested as a decent substitute until i heal.

Do you have a suggestion for how I can fill my B day with a compound exercise? A day: squat, bench, dead. B day: squat, pull down, rows.

Korch · #10 07-21-2007, 09:50 PM

well i feel rested now. my last deads were on wed and today is sat and i feel 100% in the back area. i think it was a good sore. having proper form is a pain in the ass and makes me want to just do light weights w/ high reps and do light jogging. if you can hurt yourself exercising, it seems like it's all more trouble than it's worth.